Foot-power sealing-machine



' F. G. WIELAND.

Foo POWER SEALING MACHINE.

4 APPLICATIONFILED JAN. 9. 19]'9. 1,367,575.

UNlTiiD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERTCK Gr. XVIELAITD, Ol? BROOKLYN, NEVI YORK, ASSGNOR T0 .ANCHOR CAP &

CLOSURE CORPORATION, Oli? BROOKLYN, NEW YOR I.

YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

A CORPORATION OF NEW FOOT-POWER SEALINGMACIIINE.

Patented Feb. S, 1921.

Application filed January 9, 1919. Serial No. 270,266.

To all wlw/zii t may cof/www:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. TWIELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county ot' Kings, State ci N ew York, have invented .certain new and useful improvements in Foot- Power Sealing-Machines, oiE which the tollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to sealing machines land more particularly to a machine for utilising,y a cap on a glass container or the like by forming` a side seal between the skirt of the cap and the side wall of the container.

An object ot' the present invention is to lnovide a machine constructed to operate quickly and eliiciently with small eXpenditure ci power to produce the side seals as specified., by deiforming,l a bead in the skirt of the cap to compress gasket material against the side wall of the container.

A. further object of the present invention is a machine operating as specified and wherein the package table is operated by quie.;` movement mechanism to position the cap to bc sealed beneath the sealing chuck and wherein the sealing' chuck devices are operated under au increasingi power factor to complete the sealing operation when the cap has been positioned within the zone of operation oi the sealingl chuck.

A still further object of the present invention is a machine oi the character speciiied and wherein the package 'table *with the package thereon is raised to position the cap to he scaled by a quick movement, and wherein the sealing` devices are operated under an augmented power factor, both oi which operations are accomplished by a sing-lc operation olf a toot actuated mechanism.

A still further object oi the present invention is a machine oi the character speciiicd and wherein the range of movement ot the sealing' chuck is adjustable.

ik still iur-ther object of the present invention is a device ot the character specified and wherein both the sealing jaws and the anvil ot the sealingl chuck are independently adinstable iu their reswctive sealing movements.

A still further object ot' my invention is to provide a construction which is particu larly strong and simple, and in which substitution oi' sealing` chucks may be made quickly and easily, in order to accommodate the machine to the sealingof containers ot' various size.

A still :further object oit the present invention is to provide powerful leverage arrangements for completing the sealing movements of the sealingchuck and which leverage arrangements comprise a toggle operative through a driving?,` member and connections, and wherein. the driving member comprises an eccentric driven from a flexible member secured to a toot lever and in pe ripheral engagement with the eccentric.

Another object of the present invention is a sealing' chuck in a machine of the character Specified and wherein the swinging jaws of the chuck are pivoted upon a stationary base member attached to the machine trame in such manner that the swinging jaws do not have a vertical movement and wherein the anvil is vertically movable to distortthe bead in the skirt of the cap thereby producing` the seal against the side wall of the container.

rThis invention possesses many other and advantageous features, some of which, together with the foregoing, will be set out more at lenuth in the following description, wherein will be outlined in lull that form of the invention which I have selected 'for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming` a part ot the present specication.

In the drawings and specification I have described only the preferred form oi my ,generic invention, and it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form because my invention may be embodied in a multiplicity of forms each being a species thereof, it beine; understood that by the appended claims l desire to cover the invention in whatsoever form it may be embodied or practised.

Figure l is a iront elevational view of the preferred form of the machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view showing portions broken away to illustrate sections of the operating' mechanism.

in the art of packaging or sealing foodstuffs, it is important that the sealing operation be carried out with the greatest rapidity possible without interfering with the operations of tie machine or without spilling the contents of the container or displacing the cap therefrom. l have found that by providing certain accelerating mechanisms for positioning the package, and certain negative accelerating mechanisms for accomplishing the sealing, that the speed of operations of sealing machine may be greatly increased. ln machines of this cha lacter, the parts receiving the heaviest wear are the portions of the sealing chuck which are actively engaged in the sealing operation, and, therefore, these parts of the sea-ling chucks must he renewed with greater frequency than other elements in the machine. Furthermore, in order to afford the user the full benefit of a machine of this type, it is necessarythat provision he made for the substitution of different sized chucks in the marhine in order to permit the scaling of packages of different sizes. To the accomplishment of these purposes l have found it desirable to construct tie sealing` chucks so that the swinging jaws and the beading anvil may be independently adjustable and independently removable, and to arrange the machine frame, operating mechanism and chuck in such manner that the latter may be removed from association with the frame and operating mechanism without disassembling either thel chuck or the operating mechanism.

More speifically, the preferred embodiment of my present invention comprises a machine frame having a foot lever mounted in the base thereof, and a sealing chuck fixedly mounted on the upper' portion of the frame with a vertically movable table beneath the sealing chuck. ccclerating movement devices comprising suitable levers and cams connect the table with the foot lever so that when the foot lever is depressed the package is quickly raised. Suitable adjustments are provided so as to accommodate iliackages of varying heights so that the cap will be properly positioned in the sealing chuck when the package is raised. A sealing anvil is mounted for movement within the sealing chuck and is also connected to the foot lever through a toggle connection and adjustable link devices which are operated through a. chain driven eccent 1ic also connected to the foot lever. By means of this construction wherein the chuck is mounted on a machine frame it will he seen a very rigid abutment is provided for holding the under portion of the bead on the skirt of the cap when the sealing' anvil is operated. through the negative accelerating element to make the seal as specified.

`From the foregoing it will be apparent that the scaling operation takes place near the lower portion of the stroke of the foot lever at the time when the operator is naturally applying the greatest pressure to the latter t. and that this oper( tion is carried out hy negative accelerating connections so that full advantage is taken of the momentum of the moving parts whereby the sealing opera 'tion is effected without unduly slowing` up the operation of the machine and with minimum fatiguing effort on the operator.

Referring more particularly to the drawings for an illustration of the preferred enibodiment of my invention, the machine therein illust 1ated comprises a machine frame base 1 to which is bolted the machine frame head 2. This construction facilitates shipping and repairing` of the machines. '.lhc front ofthe base l is provided with a pair of hearings 4l and 5 in which is slidably mounted astan'dard 6 for a package table 'i'. The bearing e: carries a set screw 8 which slides in a groove 9 in the standard 6 and prevents displacement of the table 't' by preventing the rotation of the standard 6. A collar 10 is mounted on the standard 6 beneath the bearing l and is adapted to be clamped in adjusted positions by means of a set screw 1l. il. second collar l2 is also carried by the standard 6 and beneath the colla-r 10 with a coiled spring 14 between the 'two collars and a tie bolt 13 extending through the collar 'l0 and into the collar 12 and effective to limit separation of said cole lars, so tha 1 a sudden release of pressure on. the coiled spring lll does unduly displace the standard 6. A lift lever 16 is pivoted on a shaft l? journaled in the'main frame 1 and is bifurcated on its front end to provide arms i8 that extend on each side of the standard 6 and engage the slidable collar 12 so that when the lift lever 16 is operated, as will he described, the movement is transmitted to the standard (i through the coiled spring lil, which absorbs undue shocks, etc. yllhe lift lever 16 adjacent the shaft 17 is provided with an anti-friction roller 19 which roller bears against a cam 20 that is carried on a stub shaft T21 whifh is mounted in the base frame 1. rlhis cam 2O is adapted to be rotated through the medium of an arm secured to the shaft 21 and connected to the pedal 2d by means of a link 25.

From the illustration it will he seen that the ram 2O is of such size and contour that when the foot lever is depressed, this cam lifts the package tahle through the lift arm and connected parts, with an accelerating` n'iovement. llt the same time this movement is transmitted through the spring le so that the heading 26 of the cap 27 on the container 28 will not be brought into too violent contact with the scaling devices.

The machine frame head 2 is provided with a forwardly extending shelf 29 which is formed to comprise boss 30 provided with a vertical opening, the upper portion of which is screw threaded as at 31 and into which the frame 32 of the sealing' chuck is adapted to be secured. The front wall of the boss 30 carries a set screw 34 which is adapted to he seated against the stem of the frame 32 of the chuck to securely hold the chuck in position. This trame 32 of the chuck carries a plurality of swinging jaws 35 that are pivoted as at 36 and are normally swung outwardly by means of small coiled springs 37. These jaws are provided with ledges 38 which form a complete ring beneath the bead 26 of the cap when the jaws are swung to their innermost position as will be specified later. The movement of the jaws is controlled by means ot a sliding` ring,` 39 which is mounted by means oi" the removable nuts 33, on the lower ends of the sliding rods 40 and 4l that are vertically movable in the bearings 42 and 44 integral with the boss 30. The outer lower ends of the swinging' jaws 35 curve outwardly as at 45 to comprise cam iaces with which the sliding ring 39 cooperates when the sliding` rods 40 and 4l are driven downward, as will be described, and cams the swinging jaws 35 inwardly. The sealing` anvil comprises a circular sealing' head 46 preferably formed integral with the stem 47 which extends through an opening in `the chuck iframe 82. The upper end ot' the stem 47 carries a collar 48 and the upper portion oi' the chuck frame is raised to provide a pocket for receiving; a coiled spring 49 which bears against the collar 48 and normally retains the shoulder 5G on the sealing head in contact with the lower portion ot the chuck frame. rl`he sliding rods 4() and 4l are connected and carry a spacing yoke block 5l upon which is mounted an adjustable screw bolt 52 which is locked in adjusted positions by means of a lock nut 54. The lower end of the screw bolt 52 is cylindrical and extends within an opening in the stem 47 of the anvil to form a 4guide. The bolt 52 constitutes an actuating,lr plunger with the shoulder 56 on the s^rew bolt arranged for coperation with the upper end of the anvil stem, so that by adjusting the screw bolt 52, both them amount ot movement communicated to the anvil and the time or instant at which this movement begins, may be varied. The oppositely arranged parallel links 57 are connected at their lower ends with the sliding rods 40 and 4l and at their upper ends with the short arms 58 of the bifurcated bell crank lever, which is pivoted upon the shaft 59, journaled in the upper end of the main iframe head 2. The short arms 58 and the parallel links 57 cornprise a toggle mechanism for operatingthe sealing` chuck and anvil as will be described later. rlhe long' arm 60 of the bell crank lever carries a yoke 6l which supports a stili compression spring 62 that is attached to the main operatinga rod 64 which prel`erably is formed in two sections that are joined by a turn buckle 65. The lower end ot this operating rod 64 is connected to a power arm 66 which is fixed to rotate with the eccentric 67 that is mounted upon the stub shaft 68. A flexible chain 69 extends around the eccentric 67 and is secured thereto by a stub bolt 70. One end of this :dexible chain is attached to the pedal 24 and the other end is attached to the main return spring' 7l. This spring 7l is anchored to an adjustable screw bolt 72 which is secured to the boss 74 on the machine head frame 2.

The main return spring 7l retains the toot pedal 24 normally in a raised position with the adjustable stop 75 in contact with the shelf 76 in the base of the main frame 1. It is to be noted that the eccentric 67 is so located relatively to the stub shaft 68 and the point of anchorage of the chain 69 to the foot pedal 24 that when the toot pedal starts on its downward travel the chain is operative on a relative short radius. which radius `gradually increases as the eccentric is turned, thereby increasing the eil'ective power of the pedal on the main operating rod 64, and it is also to be noted that the toggle formed by the parallel links 57 and the short arms 58 on the bell crank straightens as the main operating rod is pulled downward. As a consequence, the effective downward movement of the sliding rods 40 and 4l and the sliding link 39 is a movement which gradually decreases in speed with a corresponding increase in power.

In the operation of this machine the package is placed on the package table 7 and the pedal 24 is forced downward. This action causes the package table to be lifted quickly so that, the standard having the proper initial adjustment, the bead of the cap on the container thereon is raised above the ledges 38 on the swinging jaws 35. As this operation is being' completed, the sealinc' mechanism has begun to operate so that immediately after the cap is positioned within the chuck the ring' 39 is tor^ed downward by means of the toggle mechanism and connected parts so that the ledges 38 on the chuck form a complete ring beneath the bead 26 of the cap, and the continued downward movement ot the pedal Jforces down the sealing head 46 so that the bead 26 of the cap is suitably deformed by compression between the ledges 88 and the sealing` head. As soon as the pressure on the pedal is relieved the return spring 71 operatesto restore the parts to normal position so that the package may be removed from the table and a new container and cap be placed thereon for the next sealing` operation.

T he machine whose construction and oper ation has been. described above provides a verv simple device in which all parts are easily accessible for the purpose of repair,

and which, while delivering very great power to the die parts Which operate upon the package closure, is operated with but little exertion on the part of the user. The dic operating; and retaining mechanism is of particular strength and simplicity, and designed to necessitate but very little Wear upon the bearings, as the rods 40 and 4:1 are retainedin accurate alinement by the rigid connections atlorded bv the yoke bar 5l and the ring;` spiderBS). Dismounting` ot a chuck from the machine and remountingI ot another chuck, as is frequently desired for the purpose vof sealing different sizes ot vessels, is easily accomplished in minimum time by simply backing oil' set screw 3st to release the chuck and to permit its downward Withdrawal from the Vboss through the ring,` 39. A chuck havingdiferent size die parts may be quickly substituted by a reversal of these operations. As described above, the adjustment ol. the turn buckle G5 permits the variation of the stroke ot the actuating mechanism to accommodate it to diiierent chucks, while the adjustment ot the bolt 52 permits the maintenance ot proper cordination between the operation ot the dies and the anvil.

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

l. In a sealing' machine, the combination of a trame, a sealing?,` device operably mounted on the trame, a package table movably supported on the trame for association with the sealing' device, a treadle operably associated with the trame, levers operable by the treadle to move the package table into association with the sealing device, and actuatingl mechanism mounted on the frame and operable through a power stroke of the treadle to operate the sealing` device at an increasing poiver factor.

2. A sealing machine comprising in combination a frame, a package table mounted for movement thereon, a scalini; device supported on the trame, table shitting mechanism mounted on the trame and effective to move the table toward the sealing device with a quick movement, actuatingmechanis a mounted on the trame and e'liective to operate the sealing device under an increasing power -lfactor, and a treadle associated with the trame and effective upon the table shitting, mechanism and actuating mechanism to operate them in sequence.

3. ln a sealing machine, the combination of a frame, a treadle associated therewith, a sealing device supported on the Jframe, a package table movably supported on the frame, table shifting mechanism supported on the frame for moving` the table toivard the sealing device, and operating mechanism for actuating` the sealing device; said table shitting` mechanism includinga cam oper'- able by the treadle on its power stroke kto etect quick movement ot' the table, and the operating mechanism including` an eccentric operable by the treadle on its power stroke and eitective upon the sealing device at an increasing` poiver factor.

4. In a sealing machine, the combination ot a trame, a sealing device operably mounted thereon, a toot lever operably mounted 0n the trame, a toggle pivoted on the 'trame and operable to actuate the sealingdevice, an eccentric Wheel mounted on the trame and operably connected with the toggle to operate the same, and means operable by the Jfoot lever for rotating said Wheel to actuate the toggle.

5. ln Va sealing machine, the combination with a frame, ot a sealing device mountet thereon, a biturcated bell crank'lever pivoted on the trame, bearings fixed on the frame laterally ot the sealing device, plun- Ia'ers operably mounted in said bearings, links connecting the respective biturcate arms of the bell crank lever With the respective plungers in toggle relationship, a member forming a cross connection between the plungers, means movable with the plun- ,Qers to operate the sealingdevice, and means for swinging' the bell crank lever to straighten the toggle.

6. In a sealing machine, the combination of a iframe, boss and bearing members supported thereon, a sealing` chuck mounted in the boss and including coperating sealingmembers, actuating' plungers operably mounted in the bearing' members, means for reciprocating the plungers, and means connected with the plungers for actuating;` the respective scalino,` members.

7. ln a sealingmachine, the combination ot a frame member formed to provide boss and bearing members, an operable chuck removably mounted in the boss, actuating plungers operably mounted in the bearings, means for reciprocating the plungers, and means guided by the plungers for actuating the chuck. t

S. In a sealing machine, the combination of a trame member formed to provide boss and bearing` members, an operable chuck removably mounted in the boss, actuating plnngers operably mounted in the bearings. means for reciprocating the plungers, and means guided by the plungers for actuating the chuck, said means being relatively adjustable.

9. In a sealing machine, the combination of a. frame member formed t0 provide boss and bearing members, an operable chuck removably mounted in the boss, actuating plungers operably mounted in the bearings, means for reciprocating the plungers, and means guided by the plungers for actuating the chuck. said means being adjustable to vary its effectiveness upon the chuck.

l0. In a sealing machine, the combination of a frame member formed to provide boss and bearing members, an operable chuck removably mounted in the boss, actuating plungers operably moui'ited in the bearings, means 'for reciprocating the plungers, and means connecting said plungers at the re- `spective ends of the bearings and operably associated with the chuck.

11. In a sealingmachine, the combination oi a iframe memberl formed to 'provide boss and bearing members, an operable chuck removably mounted. in the boss, actuating plungers operably mounted in the bearings, means for reciprocating the plungers, and means connecting said plungels at the respective ends of the bearings and etl'ective to ope ate the chuck upon movement of the p lungers.

l2. In a sealing machine, the combination of a frame having relatively iiXed boss and bearing; members, a chuck operably mounted in the boss, operating plungers movably mounted in the bearings, the chuck includ ing coacting portions adapted to compress a closure, means carried by said plungers at one side oi the bearings for actuating one ot said coacting portions, means carried by said plungers at the other side oi the bearings for actuating the other of said coacting portions, and means for actuating the plungers.

13. In a sealing machine, the combination ol a frame, a chuck mounted thereon, said chuck including relatively movable die and anvil members, conjoined actuating members, one effective upon the anvil and the other upon the die, means for operating said actuating members, and a bearing supported on the trame and effective between said actuating members to afford them support and guidance relative to the chuck.

FREDERICK G. WIELAND. 

